THE GERUND (12 )

                                         CHAPTER-26

260. Read the following sentence:-
        >) Swimming is a good exercise.

       *) The word swimming is formed from the Verb swim by adding -ing.It is
           therefore like a Verb.
       *)The word swimming is the name of an action and is also the Subject of a
          sentence.Hence it does the work of a Noun.
      *) The word swimming is therefore both like a Verb and a Noun.It is
          therefore a Verb-Noun,and is called a Gerund.

261. The forms of the Gerunds and of the Present Participles are identical.
       How to distinguish between the two?Gerunds and verbal Nouns and
       Participles are Verbal Adjectives.
        
        >) He is fond of riding. (Gerund)
        >) Riding along the road,he saw a lion.(Present participle)

262.Since a gerund is a kind of Noun,it may be used :-


(1) As the Subject of a verb;as,
   >) Seeing is believing.
   >) Sleeping is necessary to health.
   >) Collecting stamps is his hobby.

(2) As the Object of a Transitive Verb;as,
   >) I enjoy reading poetry.
   >) Children love making mud castles.
   >) I like watching the stars at night.



(3) As a Complement;as,
   >) Seeing is believing
   >) The best exercise is swimming.
   >) What I most dislike is smoking.

(4) As an Object of a Preposition;as,
   >) She is fond of dancing.
   >) He earns a living by begging.
   >) He was punished for telling a lie.

(5) Absolutely (i.e,in the independent clause);as
   >) Collecting stamps being one of his hobbies,he was glad to buy my
       collection.

263. When a Noun or Pronoun is placed before a Gerund,it must be in the
        Possessive Case;as,
      
        Incorrect.  I was pleased at John going there.
        Correct.     I was pleased at John's going there.

        Incorrect.  They insisted upon me starting at once.
        Correct.     They insisted upon my starting at once.

Further examples are:-
     
       >) All depends upon Ali's(not Ali) going there.
       >) They were sorry to hear of my(not me) being ill.
       >) We heard of their(not them) winning the match.
       >) We enjoyed the clown's(not clown) falling from the roof.

      *) But the Possessive Case cannot be used with the Gerund in the
          following cases :--

      (1) When the Noun denotes a lifeless thing;as,
           >) There is no danger of the wall falling down.
           >) There is no fear of the train coming late.

      (2) When the Gerund is in the Passive Form;as,
           >) Do you approve of Mohan being punished?

264. In this  table are given examples where the Gerund may be replaced by an
        Infinitive without change of meaning.

No. Subject+Verb                    Gerund,etc.

1.    He likes                             swimming(=to swim).
2.    She began                         weeping(=to weep).
3.    They started                      packing(=to pack) their luggage.
4.    She loves                           going(=to go) to the cinema.
5.    I hate                                refusing(=to refuse) every time.
6.    She prefers                       sitting(=to sit) by the fire in the winter.
7.    You must continue           patronising(=to patronise) us.
8.    She can't bear.                 seeing(=to see) the children cold and hungry.
9.    Children love                   making(=to make) mud castles.
10.  Most people dislike          paying(=to pay) taxes.
 
265. The Gerunds used after the Verbs in this table  are equivalent to Passive
        infinitives.

No. Subject+Verb                        Gerund(=Passive Infinitive)

1.    These walls need                   Painting(=to be painted).
2.    You coat needs                      washing(=to be washed).
3.    These plants need                  watering(=to be watered).
4.    My shoes want                      mending(=to be mended).
5.    Your composition needs        correcting(=to be corrected).

266. The only form of a Verb that can follow a Preposition is the Gerund.

No. Subject+Verb                                       Gerund,etc.

1.    They were punished                         for coming late.
2.    The father reprimanded his son       for being rude to the visitor.
3.    The magistrate fined the motorist    for driving at full speed.
4.    She is very clever                             at making excuses.
5.    We cannot live                                 without eating.
6.    I will excuse you                               from attending the meeting.
7.    He was congratulated                       on winning the prize.
8.    They locked the house                      before going out.
9.    I went home                                     without seeing my brother.

267. From the above principle,it follows that those Adjectives and Verbs which
        are always found in combination with a Preposition(fond of,interested in,
        object to) must be followed by the gerund,not by an Infinitive.

             ADJECTIVES WITH PREPOSITIONS

No.  Subject+Verb                                 Gerund,etc.

1.     Heis fond of                                  playing cards.
2.     She was annoyed at                       missing the bus.
3.     He is averse to                             playing cards.
4.     She is not capable of                     working hard.
5.     They were intent on                      achieving their ambition.
6.     Are you interested in                    collecting old coins?
7.     Who is responsible for                  breaking this mirror?
8.     We were all tired of                      listening to her complaints.
9.     I am not accustomed to                sleeping in the  open.
10.   Are you agreeable to                     letting them use your car?
11.   This camera is not suitable for     taking pictures in the dark.

              VERBS WITH PREPOSITIONS

No. Subject+Verb                                 Gerund,etc.

1.    We aim at                                       winning the first prize.
2.    I do not agree to                              giving tips to waiters.
3.    Her parents never approved of       playing bridge.
4.    They always disapproved of            playing bridge.
5.    We tried to dissuade her from         marrying an old man.
6.    They were excused from                 complying with this regulation.
7.    We insisted on                                 lodging our protest.
8.    We objected to                                meeting her.
9.    The accused presisted in                 asserting his innocence.
10.  Illness prevented her from              attending the meeting.
11.  We have succeeded in                     winning our point.
12.  They are thinking of                        moving to another house.

Exercise 79. Complete the  following sentences,by adding a construction with
                    a Gerund or an Infinitive (whichever you think correct):-


  1. My sister dislikes------
  2. He was punished------
  3. We were prevented---
  4. The manager objected---
  5. I do not intend------
  6. Most children enjoy------
  7. I am tired------
  8. She is fond of-------
  9. My little boy likes----
 10.She persisted-------
 11.I am sorry----------
 12.Would you mind-------
 13.We were very disappointed------
 14. My parents are not accustomed-----
                                 15. The Headmaster is certain--------
                                 16. You will succees if you keep on-----
                                 17. My parents  never approved------
                                 18. She is waiting----------
                                 19. I am surprised----------
                                 20. He went home without-----------

Exercise 80. Complete the following sentences :--
                 
         1. The magic show being over,------
         2. The king being dead,--------------
         3. God willing,-------------------------
         4. The warning being given,---------
         5. The match being over,-----------
         6. The day being hot,----------------
         7. Weather permitting,---------------
         8. The train having started,---------
         9. The sun having set,----------------
       10. The speaker having arrived,-----
       11. My parents are not accustomed--
       12. The Headmaster is certain--------
       13. Having failed inthe first sttempt,---
       14. Hearing the noise,---------------------
       15. Having elected him President,------

Exercise 81. Correct the following sentences :--

       1. We were surprised at Sami being absent.
       2. We left without any one knowing.
       3. Being dissatisfied ,the post was resigned.
       4. Sitting on the gate,a serpent bit him.
       5. Lying under the tree, a scorpion stung her.
       6. Hoping to hear from you soon,yours sincerely.
       7. The smoke being thick,nothing could be seen.
       8. Walking up to the door,the bell was rung.
       9. Being a very hot day,I did not go out.
      10.Entering the room,the light was quite dim.

Exercise 82. Which of the words ending in '-ing' in these sentences are Gerunds
                     and which are Present Participles?

      1. Walking on the grass is forbidden.
      2. Sleeping late in the morning is a bed habit.
      3. Collecting stamps is her favourite hobby.
      4. She is very fond of collecting stamps.
      5. Asking questions is easier than answering them.
      6. I enjoy watching the stars at night.
      7. Playing cards being his chief amusement,he played whenever he could.
      8. Killing birds is a cruel sport.
      9. I hate that boy killing birds.
    10. I saw an old man running for a bus.
    11. Running for a bus,the old man slipped and fell.
    12. The boys like swimming in th sea.
    13. Bullocks are used  for driving carts.
    14. See John driving a motor-car.
    15. Swimming is a good exercise.

Exercise 83. Rewrite each of these sentences using a Gerund in place of an
                     Infinitive printed in italics :--

    1. To see is to believe.
    2. Teach me to swim.
    3. To give is better than to receive.
    4. To ask questions is easier than to answer thm.
    5. To praise all alike is to praise none.
    6. Children love to make mud castles.
    7. To save is better than to spend.
    8. To help the poor is our great duty.
    9. To drive a motor-car will require skill.
   10. To kill birds is a cruel sport.
   11. To bathe in cold water is very refreshing in hot weather.
   12. To talk too much is not a  sign of intelligence.
   13. No one likes to pay taxes.
   14. To find fault is easy.
   15. To ride a bicycle is not very  difficult.